Bills GM On McCoy, Incognito, Ryan
Bills General Manager Doug Whaley hasn’t been heard from much in the 2015 season, but Joe Buscaglia of WKBW got an opportunity to sit down with him prior to Buffalo’s contest against New England. The whole Q&A is worth a read, but here’s a look at the highlights:
Offseason acquisitions Richie Incognito and LeSean McCoy had issues with their previous teams. What led you to believe that they would be such a good fit in Buffalo?
Two things. Just from our ownership, and the whole construction of our organization, we knew that once we got those players in here, they know what’s expected of them, and they’re going to toe the line and be Buffalo Bills not only on the field, but off the field. And I think that’s a credit to the coaching staff, Rex Ryan, and also the Pegulas — just to set up an organization when you come in, you’ve got to buy into what a Buffalo Bills means, again, on and off the field.
The Bills have three starters headed for unrestricted free agency: Incognito, Nigel Bradham, and Cordy Glenn. Will you be able to retain all three?
Well, it’s going to be an organizational determination on who can we keep, and prioritize from top to bottom, of your free agents. And we’re a victim, unfortunately, of our scouting staff and how well — not only on the pro side — of acquiring free agents, but on the college side and our drafting. So, we’ve been drafting everybody. And you can’t keep everybody. That’s just the nature of the business. We’re going to try. We’re going to try our hardest, and we’re going to develop a plan after the season and try to implement it. Again, it’s going to be tough, but we’re going to try our hardest to keep all those guys.
Quarterback Tyrod Taylor has one year left on his deal. Will the Bills try and lock him up long-term this offseason?
Again, that’s another thing we’re going to have to talk about in the offseason. It’s a possibility that we’ll try to do that, but again, we’ve got a lot of things to work through in this offseason. It’s going to be a challenging one for us as a staff and an organization, like you said, just because of all the guys we’ve got coming up and the guys you want to lock up long-term. If Tyrod’s the guy, we’ll try to make sure we get him, and be our quarterback for a long, long time. And that’s a good problem to have. All these problems, we’re not complaining about, but they’re good problems.
On talk of not being on the same page as Ryan:
Rex and I, like I said from day one, we can complete each other’s sentences. The best thing about our business now is, when someone throws a report out there, they’re more believed than when you ask me a question and I answer it. If I answer it and say, ‘We’re great,’ people are still going to say, ‘I don’t believe him.’ So, that’s the business we’re in and that’s the business we’ve chosen… I’m fine with that. To answer your question, Rex and I are thick as thieves.
AFC East Notes: Taylor, Edelman, Dolphins
Assuming he plays the entire game against the Patriots tonight, Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor should ensure that he plays at least 50% of Buffalo’s offensive snaps this season, notes Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). And if Taylor meets that 50% threshold this season, it means he could end up spending one less year in Buffalo.
When Taylor signed a three-year contract with the Bills in the offseason, the pact included a clause that allowed it to void after two years if the ex-Raven played at least half of the club’s snaps this season. At the time, with Taylor projected to be a backup, those terms didn’t appear significant, but they certainly do now. Barring an injury tonight, Taylor will now likely be eligible for unrestricted free agency following the 2016 season.
Let’s round up a few more items from around the AFC East….
- Schefter also examines another notable contract, tweeting that Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman will lose about $47K each week in per-game roster bonuses while his foot injury keeps him out of action. If he misses the rest of the season, Edelman will lose out on about $328K, so the injury is a costly one for both the player and the team.
- After falling to 4-6 on Sunday, the Dolphins need to start looking ahead to 2016, writes James Walker of ESPN.com. While players and coaches still insist the club is capable of running the table and vying for a playoff spot, the franchise needs to start considering who the head coach will be in 2016, and what personnel changes must be made in the offseason.
- Dan Campbell‘s performance in relief of Joe Philbin is “obviously enough to earn him a legitimate interview” when the Dolphins hunt for a permanent head coach after the season, says Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. However, Salguero believes Miami needs to target someone with more extensive head coaching experience, identifying Sean Payton and Chuck Pagano as potential candidates, if they’re available.
East Notes: Williams, Collins, Cowboys, Eagles
Here are some rumors coming out of the Eastern time zone as those squads prepare for Week 11, or in the Giants’ case, Week 12.
- Rex Ryan admits there’s a 50-50 chance the Bills‘ wild card push won’t include Kyle Williams, the Associated Press reports. The 10th-year Buffalo starter and four-time Pro Bowler’s been out since Week 7 with a left knee injury. A setback in the defensive tackle’s recovery caused his season to be in jeopardy.
- Jamie Collins will miss his third straight game with an undisclosed illness, but the Patriots‘ standout linebacker doesn’t have MRSA, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. Unlike recent scenarios where the Giants and Buccaneers had to disinfect their facilities for MRSA, the Patriots have not had to do this, Howe reports.
- Greg Hardy‘s recent tardiness issues stemmed from being “humiliated” by a Twitter mishap and the embattled Cowboys defensive end needing time to regroup before facing his teammates, Jeremy Mincey conveyed to Albert Breer of NFL.com.
- Jerry Jones admits the Cowboys have tried to get “cute” at the quarterback spot in his tenure, bringing in players like Quincy Carter and Brandon Weeden, the Dallas owner said on 105.3 The Fan (as relayed by Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk). “I’ve tried to get cute — and I don’t mind saying tried to be cute — at the quarterback spot,” Jones said. “I tried to get us what I thought was the equivalent of a Romo with Quincy Carter in the (second) round (in 2001). We tried to get one that was drafted high, obviously in somebody’s eyes had high potential, in this case Mike Holmgren thought Weeden was certainly a first-round pick.” Jones also lamented not trading for Matt Cassel prior to the season, believing the Cowboys would not be 2-7 had they given Cassel more time to learn the system.
- With the Eagles moving to Mark Sanchez after Sam Bradford‘s latest injury, Breer writes of the lose-lose trade that now has both one-time starters — Bradford and Nick Foles — on the bench in their new locales. But Sanchez being a superior runner to Bradford at least makes teams account for another dimension in a disappointing Philadelphia attack. “If they just use the zone-read and run the ball, yes. Otherwise, he’ll throw the ball to the other team in crucial situations,” an NFC executive told Breer when asked if the Eagles are better off with Sanchez. Technically, Sanchez is a better runner than Bradford, but he’s never gained more than 110 yards in a season, so it’s a limited upgrade.
- Washington cornerback DeAngelo Hall is transitioning to safety, playing on the back line on passing downs as free agent signing Jeron Johnson lined up there in run situations last week, the Washington Post’s Mike Jones reports. A starter at corner for the Falcons, Raiders and Washington from 2004-15, the 32-year-old Hall’s been supplanted at his natural position this season.
- In an itinerary of how the Giants can book their first playoff berth since their latest Super Bowl year, 2011, Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News suggests Orleans Darkwa be given a bigger role in Big Blue’s muddled running back corps. The second-year UDFA sports a team-best 4.7 yards per carry but on just 23 totes. Top ball-carriers Rashad Jennings and Andre Williams‘ per-carry figures sit under 4.0, with Williams’ sitting at 2.8.
Extra Points: Mexico City, O’Brien, Lions
After sending a contigent of league officials to Mexico City to assess the possibility of playing a 2016 regular season game at Azteca Stadium, the NFL received “overwhelmingly positive reports,” sources tell Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.
According to La Canfora, the league was already intrigued about the possibility of playing a game next year in Mexico City, and that possibility looks even more likely after last week’s visit. The CBSSports.com scribe suggests it would be a surprise if a game isn’t played at Azteca Stadium in 2016, adding that the NFL could make an announcement to that end in the near future.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the league:
- Addressing his brother’s firing today, Bills head coach Rex Ryan said the former Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan will “take some time” to decide his next move, according to ESPN’s Mike Rodak. The Buffalo coach added that he hadn’t thought about the possibility of his brother joining the Bills’ staff, but admitted that “it would be pretty fun.”
- In the wake of a Sunday report that suggested he’d have interest in the head coaching job at Maryland, Texans head coach Bill O’Brien dismissed that idea, asserting that he’s “damn proud to be the head coach of the Houston Texans.” Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle has the quotes and the details.
- The Lions haven’t indicated yet that veteran cornerback Josh Wilson will be placed on injured reserve, but whether or not Wilson lands on IR, the team will need to add depth at the position, writes Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com. Detroit, down to three healthy cornerbacks, is auditioning free agent corners today, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link).
- Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun wouldn’t be surprised to see the Ravens make some roster moves this week, specifically addressing the team’s return game.
AFC East Notes: Fins, Whaley, Bowles
The Dolphins are in the midst of a disappointing season, and although there is still time for the 3-5 club to reverse its fortunes and claw back into the wildcard race, there are some who are already looking ahead to next season. As Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes, the Dolphins can easily create a great deal of cap space in 2016 to address their weaknesses and restock their roster. For instance, Miami will almost assuredly release Greg Jennings, thereby saving $4MM, and it could also cut Jordan Cameron, who has not found his place in the offense and who will count a whopping $9.5MM against the cap next year.
Meanwhile, Ndamukong Suh and Ryan Tannehill have a combined $40.2MM cap hit in 2016, but Jackson notes that the Dolphins could reduce that number to as low as $15.1MM with several relatively simple restructures. Needless to say, such restructurings could hamstring the team in future seasons, but even if the Dolphins choose not to go that route, there are still plenty of opportunities for them to create cap room. Parting ways with Koa Misi and Earl Mitchell, for example, would free up over $6MM of space. The real question, then, is not whether the Dolphins will have the financial wherewithal to improve their fortunes, but whether they can find the right players to do so. Recent history, of course, is against them.
Now let’s take a quick swing around the other clubs in the AFC East:
- We heard several days ago that even if the Bills fall out of the playoff race in 2015, head coach Rex Ryan would still return for 2016, though GM Doug Whaley‘s future in Buffalo would be much more uncertain. But as Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News writes, the club’s 2015 draft class has been crucial to the team’s relative good fortunes this season, and although Skurski does not explicitly say so, it may be that the rookies’ cumulative success could save Whaley’s job.
- Manish Mehta of The New York Daily News believes Todd Bowles was the right hire at the right time for the Jets, but a series of questionable in-game decisions, particularly decisions related to clock management, have cast a black cloud over Bowles’ otherwise promising first season as a head coach. Bowles’ job will not be in jeopardy any time soon, but his ability to learn from his early blunders will ultimately define how successful his tenure with Gang Green will be, and how long it will last.
- When a player signs an extension prior to exploring free agency, he is often said to have left money on the table. However, as Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com writes, the recent case of Patriots RB Dion Lewis runs counter to that narrative. Lewis signed a two-year deal in October that led many writers to praise New England for once again securing a major contributor with a team-friendly contract. But as Reiss says, Lewis’ season-ending ACL tear shows just how fragile one’s career can be, and just how important it is for many players–particularly players who entered the league as late draft choices or undrafted free agents–to get paid as soon as possible.
AFC East Notes: Rex Ryan, Bills, Jets
Here’s a look at the AFC East as the Bills and Jets get set to square off tonight:
- If the Bills stumble the rest of the way and don’t get into the playoff hunt, Rex Ryan‘s job will still probably be safe. However, GM Doug Whaley could be on the hot seat, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com writes. Rodak argues that the possibility of hiring a “football czar” such as Bill Polian last offseason suggests that Whaley isn’t considered a central piece in the Bills’ rebuilding process. And, while Whaley has put together a talented team in his two-and-a-half years as general manager, quarterback remains an issue and the jury is still out on whether essentially spending two first-round picks on Sammy Watkins was worthwhile.
- The Patriots didn’t make headlines around the country with their extension of guard Josh Kline, but it was an interesting example of them buying out free agent years as a method of cap management, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap writes. If Kline established himself as a two-year starter, he might have been able to get $3.5-$4MM per year on the open market. Instead, the Pats effectively pre-exercised their restricted free agent rights and in return bought out an additional year of free agency on a discount. On his end, Kline gave up one year of free agency for a lower cost contract plus a $750K guarantee.
- Ryan achieved cult hero status in his early years with the Jets but he ultimately failed them, Gary Myers of the Daily News opines. Myers also spoke with Darrelle Revis, who said that, ultimately, the Jets did not get to where they wanted to go under Ryan.
East Notes: Cameron, Washington, Bills
Dolphins tight end Jordan Cameron wants a bigger role in the team’s offense, but he won’t demand it either, as Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald writes. Cameron came to Miami as a free agent this offseason and signed a two-year, $15MM pact with $5MM fully guaranteed. However, midway through his first season in Miami, he has just 20 catches and 263 receiving yards with 43 total targets. When asked if he’s gone to offensive coordinator Bill Lazor to demand a bigger role, he didn’t offer up a direct answer.
“All I know is, not that I do what I’m told, but in football, you’re asked to do different things and your role may change,” Cameron said. “Some weeks they throw you the ball. Some weeks they don’t. It’s one of those things that you’ve got to be mentally prepared for. It’s a tough adjustment, but I’ve been in the NFL long enough. It’s about being a pro and being professional about the role you’re given.”
Cameron is under contract through 2016 and his cap number jumps from $4.6MM this year to $9.5MM next year. However, the Dolphins would be on the hook for just $2MM of that if they cut him.
Here’s more out of the AFC and NFC East:
- Washington tried out running backs Cyrus Gray and Storm Johnson, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets. Gray, who turns 26 in a little over a week, appeared in 35 games with the Chiefs from 2012 through 2014. Johnson, 23, had some hype in his rookie season but never took control of the running game as some expected him to. The former seventh-round pick was dropped by the Jags on Sept. 5th.
- The Bills tried out defensive backs Jonathan Dowling and Phillip Thomas over the weekend, Wilson tweets.
- Linebacker Jasper Brinkley could prove to be a key signing as the Giants make their playoff push, James Kratch of The Star-Ledger writes. Brinkley fell to the Giants when the Cowboys cut him at the end of training camp, despite having given him a two-year, $2MM guaranteed deal in the offseason. Brinkley got off to a slow start, but he had a strong showing against the Bucs over the weekend.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/9/15
Today’s practice squad moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: CB Sammy Seamster (Twitter link via Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News)
- Cut: WR Titus Davis
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: OL Garth Gerhart (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)
Washington
- Signed: WR LaRon Byrd, LB Carlos Fields & DL Anthony Johnson (via team on Twitter)
- Cut: WR Corey Washington
Injury Updates: Hankins, Folk, Hicks, Ware
As is often the case on Mondays during the NFL season, there have already been multiple reports of season-ending injuries to key players for contending teams, with the Patriots losing running back Dion Lewis to a torn ACL, and the Colts placing defensive lineman Henry Anderson on IR due to the same injury. Here are a few more of Monday’s latest noteworthy injury updates from around the NFL:
- Giants head coach Tom Coughlin confirmed today that defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins will undergo surgery for a torn pectoral, ending his season, per Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (Twitter link). While New York’s defensive line got a boost this weekend with the return of Jason Pierre-Paul, Hankins’ season-ending injury is another step back.
- Jets kicker Nick Folk has a quadriceps strain, and isn’t expected to play this Thursday against the Bills, a league source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Connor Hughes of the Journal Inquirer tweets that Billy Cundiff will be among the kickers getting a workout from the Jets as they seek a short-term replacement for Folk.
- The Eagles‘ preliminary diagnosis of the pectoral injury suffered by Jordan Hicks suggests the linebacker should only miss two to four weeks, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The team is awaiting the MRI results to confirm that diagnosis.
- The Falcons also got good news regarding defensive tackle Tyson Jackson, whose rib injury is a contusion, rather than a fracture, according to Rapoport (via Twitter).
- After re-aggravating his back injury, Broncos pass rusher DeMarcus Ware is expected to miss the next two to four weeks or so, tweets Rapoport.
- Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams is expected to miss the team’s next two games, a league source tells Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News (Twitter link).
- The Ravens announced today that second-year defensive end Brent Urban has been cleared to return to practice. Urban, who began the season on injured reserve with the designation to return, can now be activated within the next three weeks to avoid landing on season-ending IR.
Injury Updates: Big Ben, Lewis, Hankins, Cole
Here’s a look at some more injury news from today’s games:
- Bills running back LeSean McCoy injured his shoulder in the victory over the Dolphins today, and will probably have an MRI in advance of Thursday’s game against the Jets, writes Adam Schefter of ESPN (via Twitter).
- Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr was spotted wearing a cast on his arm following the overtime win over St. Louis, writes Jason Gonzalez of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The team staff helped him carry his bag while exiting the locker room.
- Adam Schefter adds to the reports about Lewis’ injury, noting that the Patriots running back has no swelling, which is a good sign. However his ACL is loose, which is a bad sign. Ultimately, they are still waiting on the MRI (via Twitter).
Earlier Updates:
- The Patriots are awaiting the results of an MRI on running back Dion Lewis, but the club is hopeful that he only suffered an MCL sprain, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Regardless, Lewis figures to miss some time, prompting New England to turn to LeGarrette Blount as the team’s primary back.
- Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger left today’s game against the Raiders with a foot injury, and was eventually taken to a hospital for further evaluation, per Pittsburgh’s PR staff (Twitter link). Roethlisberger was unable to put any weight on his left foot, and head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters, including Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link), that the veteran QB will undergo an MRI. Roethlisberger, of course, just returned to action after missing several weeks with an MCL sprain.
- Giants defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins suffered a torn pectoral during today’s game against the Buccaneers, the team announced on Twitter. While there has been no official announcement, such an injury is expected to be season-ending.
- Vikings backup linebacker Audie Cole fractured his ankle today, head coach Mike Zimmer told reporters, including Ben Goessling of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Per Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune (Twitter link), Zimmer confirmed that Cole will miss the remainder of the season. Cole hasn’t been a factor on the Vikings’ defense, but he was playing more than half of the club’s special teams snaps.